Motor Ace

In the closing years of the 1990s, the Australian four-piece Motor Ace rose to prominence at home by delivering melodic pop rock directed toward adult audiences. The lineup consisted of Patrick Robertson on vocals, guitar, and piano, Matt Balfe handling bass, organ, and vocals, Dave Ong on guitar, piano, and vocals, plus Damian Costin on drums. The group’s origins reach back to the early 1990s and an obscure outfit named Snowblind. By the end of 1997 the musicians abandoned that name in favor of Motor Ace following a four-month songwriting retreat. One year afterward the definitive Motor Ace roster was locked in, yet rather than chase a major-label deal the quartet chose to release the independent double a-sided single “Criminal Past”/“Five Star Laundry.” A string of local shows eventually secured them a contract with Festival Mushroom Records in February 1999. Under the guidance of producer Paul Mechercher the band unveiled the five-song EP Motor Ace before the year closed. Additional EPs and singles appeared in the form of 2000’s American Shoes and Death Defy as well as 2001’s Hey Driver, while exposure on Australia’s Triple J and an opening slot for the Foo Fighters on a club run further boosted their visibility.

Motor Ace’s first full-length release, Five Star Laundry, arrived in March 2001 and was promoted by the band’s inaugural headline tour. The album quickly reached number 4 on the domestic charts, after which the quartet landed another high-profile support slot, this time with Blink-182. The song “Death Defy” gained extra recognition when it served as the theme for the opening credits of the television series The Secret Life Of Us. The Carry On and Keeping Secrets EPs came next, preceding the August 2002 arrival of the follow-up album Shoot This.